Sunday, June 01, 2008

The Delightful Dismemberment of the Democratic Hopescape

The Democrats have reached a compromise, giving Florida and Michigan half votes and splitting the Michigan delegation 69-59 in favour of Clinton. Immediately, some Clinton supporters and organizers have begun to raise the spectre of a challenge to this ruling at the convention - presumably to get an extra 4 half votes out of Michigan, which would cut Obama's lead from 174 to 172. With the primary calender wrapping up this week and most super delegates likely to make their choice public soon afterwards, I suspect this is more for show from the Clinton campaign and we'll soon see some sort of recognition on her part that Obama will be the nominee.

11 Comments:

no matter how one looks at it, the democrats just lost the presidency, the ladies will never vote for someone who has stolen the nomination with the help of the good old boys of the democratice party, leave it them to offer defeat in a sure thing, looks good on them, with 52% of the population been women, it was their turn not another man with a darker tan.

“They used the rules to enforce a penalty on florida, then broke the rules when applying a solution for Michigan.”

I knew it! The clinton supporters will never be satisfied.

They have the nerve to demand that Obama receive no delegates in Michigan because Obama’s name was not on the ballot. Obama kept his word to the early-voting states. Clinton did not.

Then, they object when Obama is voted 4 more delegates. The fact is that the 4 half votes are immaterial.

Harold Ickes threatened a fight at the Credentials Committee though the vote yesterday was 18-9. The fact is that clinton had 13 supporters on the committee, and only 9 remained partisan on the final vote. Clinton was not cheated on anything.

This mean-spirit and selfishness has been clinton’s signature in her campaign. It’s not about the Florida and Michigan voters. It’s about the power and aura of invincibility of the clintons.

The simply reality is that there was NO solution with respect to Michigan that could please everyone or have a clear air of legitimacy legitimacy. Either they sacraficed "democracy" (Clinton's word, not mine) or they sacraficed fair play. The primary was so fundamentally flawed because the candidates took their name off and Clinton stayed on.

Either Clinton got what she wanted (her 73, Obama zero, 55 to be fought over) and tons of Obama supporters would be furious and stayed home on election day because the rules were changed midway thus punishing him for acting on the understanding of what those rules were. Or Obama got an even split (64-64) and Clinton supporters would scream about how voters voices weren't heeded and Obama got delegates from voters who didnt explicitly vote for him.

A decision had to be made. It was a compromise. The fact that it had to be made just might cost the party the White House. Obama will now win the nomination but the entire party has lost.

This is why I've felt for weeks that by pushing this route Clinton was dragging down the entire party for a really slim chance of winning. She knew or should have known that the committee couldnt give her exactly what she wanted and she knew or should have known that getting everything she wanted was her only path to the nomination. It has definitely changed my impression of her. I used to have a decent opinion of her but now shes just another dirty "me me me" type politician.

Its too bad these primaries have come to this. So much for all the optimism and excitement on both sides in January and February.

According to MSNBC Obama campaign wanted a 50/50 delegate split for Michigan and apparently they had the votes to get a 50/50 split but they opted to give Clinton 69/59 split for the sake of party unity. Nice to see how the slimy Clintons are paying back Obama for his generosity.

"leave it them to offer defeat in a sure thing, looks good on them, with 52% of the population been women, it was their turn not another man with a darker tan."

According polls in a matchup with McCain, Obama actually does better with the female vote or the same level as Clinton depending upon which poll you look at and this is in the heat of the election.

antonio said "They used the rules to enforce a penalty on florida, then broke the rules when applying a solution for Michigan."

The "rules" were applied equally to both Florida and Michigan (they both got their delegates' votes cut in half and delegates were proportioned in Clinton's favor)

It's just soooo ... karmic ... that after the debacle in 2000, the Democrats would prefer lawyers rather than voters (under the rules previously established) to settle their ballot question.

Under the rules previously established Florid and Michigan primaries would count for nothing (and rightfully so). Lawyers are not settling anything because no matter what happens Obama is still the nominee :)

“I suspect this is more for show from the Clinton campaign and we'll soon see some sort of recognition on her part that Obama will be the nominee.”

Nope! Clinton is playing for real. She’s trying to wound Obama badly enough so that he loses in 2008.

She knows that there is no chance of winning in 2008 if she gets the nomination. The blacks form 12% of the population and up to 90% of them voted for Obama. Clinton would lose 2% to 4% of the popular vote in November. She can’t beat McCain without the black vote, even if she sweeps the Puerto Ricans. She promised to make Puerto Rico the 51st State.

This is the point. What makes her think that she can win in 2012? She’ll be 65. Lot’s of people will remember her. And, she has a long history of immorality.